Energy-smart home system

ABSTRACT

An “Energy-Smart” Home System is described where the existing proliferation of electrical junction boxes in the typical home or building are used for a unique combination of purposes, supporting diverse functionalities that heretofore have not been combined, and enabling ease of installation with no new wiring. Typically, this system relies on powerline communication and uses electrical wiring for energy distribution, monitoring, and control as well as security, audio/video communications and entertainment, and general network communications such as file transfers and Internet connectivity. An underlying theme in this “Energy-Smart” Home System allows energy-related information to be gathered by way of EMAC (Energy Monitoring And Control) points typically installed at convenient locations such as electrical junction boxes used for power plug receptacles and wall switches. In addition to being visually displayed at the point of energy use or measurement, energy-related information—electrical and thermal—is typically communicated through a powerline data link to a centrally located intelligent device such as a PC, Residential Gateway or Smart Thermostat where it may be monitored, analyzed, profiled, viewed, and also used to enable energy-related control functions. Energy consumption can be alternately displayed in terms of cost-per-time. Energy monitoring is also added to the electrical breaker box, offering an easy way to supplement distributed EMAC points. In general, this Energy-Smart Home System creates a form of “Bio-Feedback for Home Energy”, making the consumer far more aware, enabling more effective and efficient energy usage, while at the same time creating an electrical power distribution and communications infrastructure that enables significant advancements in security, communications, and comfort, in addition to enhanced energy control and conservation.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED DOCUMENTS

[0001] This application is based on disclosure document serial No.493,964 filed on May 21, 2001 under the USPTO disclosure documentprogram, entitled “Home/Building Monitor and Control System withEmphasis on Energy Feedback and Profiling”, incorporated by referenceherein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention generally relates to the field of electronicsystems for homes and buildings, including systems for home networking,home energy and appliance controls, and home security/surveillancesystems, with special emphasis on energy monitoring, feedback andprofiling, and in particular, the use of electrical junction boxes forpurposes they do not normally perform. Although many of the features ofthis invention will be described in relation to a residential homeenvironment, it is understood that they are generally applicable to manyoffice and industrial building applications as well.

BACKGROUND

[0003] Many products have been introduced over the last 25 years forcontrolling electrical and electronic devices and appliances withinhomes and buildings. It is well known to use a variety of communicationsmediums to enable this control (power lines, phone lines, and purposebuilt network connectivity such as cabled Ethernet or wirelessnetworks).

[0004] More recently, it is known to extend this control to connectionvia the Internet allowing a further degree of remote control andcommunication. In addition, surveillance capabilities have been added byusing video cameras that can transmit images to monitors in other partsof the home/building as well as supplying these images to remotelocations via the Internet. Also, there is discussion that future homeand building appliances (washing machines, refrigerators, etc.) willconnect to the Internet such that they can communicate over the Internetdirectly. Among other possible remote interactions, they can communicatetheir condition and signal the need for service before breakdowns occur,as well as enable diagnostics to be performed remotely via the Internet.

[0005] The move toward home and building automation has not necessarilybeen prioritized according to how the general public accepts newthings—especially in light of the fact that old habits are hard to breakregarding how one deals with power consuming devices in homes andbuildings. While most people may not be ready to have their lights andappliances controlled automatically, there are other motivations thatmay move them toward installing a home/building monitoring and controlsystem:

[0006] Saving money given increasing energy costs

[0007] Security/Surveillance/Remote Care

[0008] The pervasive nature of home networking and Internet connectivity

[0009] Expansion of home entertainment capabilities

[0010] Interaction of Monitoring/Feedback with Automated and ManualControl

[0011] The psychological element is extremely critical in the adoptionrate of any system involving monitoring and/or control. Letting acomputer control one's home/building appliances that in the past werecontrolled manually, is a sensitive issue. A monitoring and feedbacksystem is much less disturbing or threatening, but for users who wish toadd some amount of automatic control, there must be a carefully plannedinteraction between the two. It is not uncommon for some lights inhomes, and especially in office buildings, to be controlled by circuitscontaining motion detectors. Invariably, there are occurrences where themotion detector causes the lights to be shut off at the wrong time. Thiscan easily get annoying since, as is commonly known, it takes amultitude of positive interactions to overcome the emotional effect of asingle negative interaction. Alternately, let's say that there exists alocal PC (Personal Computer) running software for home automation andcontrol, and a centrally controlled light switch that is programmed toshut off at 1:00 AM regardless of switch position to ensure that it isnot left on all night accidentally.

[0012] Now, let's say the user has stayed up late and is in the roomwith this switch. At the programmed time, the automatic control systemwill shut off the power at the switch. (It may signal the user some timeprior to shutting off by flashing the lights). To prevent the switch inquestion from causing the user great aggravation, it must have theability to override the auto shutoff event. If the switch has a transmitcapability such as that described below for EMAC (Energy Monitoring AndControl) points, the user could, for instance, toggle the switch or pusha mode button after the flashing warning (or if the light has turned offalready), and that action would be transmitted back to the centralcontrolling PC to allow a revised scenario to occur. Even if theoverride can be performed locally without interaction with the centralPC, it is useful to transmit back to the central PC that the event hashappened to aid in avoiding similar user aggravation in the future. Forinstance, the central control system could “learn” and, in this case,delay the auto shutoff of that particular light switch until 1:00 AM orlater, or switch to a motion detector-controlled mode after 1:00.

[0013] The most common mechanism today for controlling lights is basedon motion detectors incorporated into the controlling switch assembly oralternately incorporated into the light socket assembly. These workfairly well in some circumstances—especially in spaces where peopleseldom go such as attics and closets. However, in primary living areas,they can often cause a negative interaction with the user. For instance,the inventor installed a light switch with motion detector at the entryto his living room. Unfortunately, the detector's range does not coverthe entire room, thus occasionally leaving the inventor “in the dark”.Were there a multitude of motion detectors scattered around this sameroom—communicating through a data communications link such that thelight control circuit was guided in a more informed manner (as describedlater in this invention)—the inventor would be more positivelyilluminated.

[0014] Interaction of Monitoring/Feedback with Audio/Video Functionality

[0015] Although this invention deals primarily with energy use,monitoring, feedback, and control, the overall system in a given home orbuilding may also deal with the distribution and control of multi-mediainformation including audio and video. Over time, the communicationslink between the EMAC points of this invention and the centralcontrolling device (usually a PC or Residential Gateway), will have moreand more bandwidth capability, such that this link also becomes theprimary means for distributing digital multimedia information throughoutthe home or building. Thus, there will be a coexistence, if not afunctional link, between the elements of this invention focused onenergy monitoring, feedback, and control, and elements focused onaudio/video integration and control. This transmission of audio/videoinformation can be for communications, security, or entertainmentpurposes.

[0016] No Feedback on Energy Consumption

[0017] At the time of this writing, energy costs have risensubstantially and are likely to continue to do so. One of the first, andmost important problems consumers are faced with is knowing exactlywhere, and how much power is being consumed in specific areas/appliancesin their homes and buildings. Today's home and building automationsystems are much more focused on controlling than on providing energyusage feedback. Meanwhile, the typical occupant may have little or noidea of where the energy is actually being consumed.

[0018] Simplistic Control of Heating and Cooling Systems based onLimited Information

[0019] Today's typical control system for heating and cooling, thetraditional thermostat, does not take advantage of networkedconnectivity and the information gathering that it affords, therebymissing the opportunity to provide a much more comfortable and energyefficient thermal environment. Even today's “programmable” thermostatobserves only the temperature at it's own location. It is therefore verycommon for rooms or offices not containing the thermostat to beoverheated or overcooled. Such rooms or offices waste energy if they arenot occupied, or make the occupants uncomfortable if they are occupied.

[0020] Security Systems

[0021] The International Association of Chiefs of Police estimates thatbetween 95% and 98% of all home-alarm calls are false, costing policedepartments nationwide about $600 million a year. If a Security Company,or the Police, could remotely view the interior of the home or buildingwhere the alarm has just been activated, most of this money could besaved. Security companies offer video surveillance, but the systems arecomplex and expensive and not easily adapted to existing homes withoutextensive additional wiring and adding provisions for mounting andpowering the video cameras.

SUMMARY

[0022] Overall, the home system described in this invention relates tothe energy distribution systems in a home or building. Much of theuniqueness in this invention deals with the combining of diversefunctionalities that heretofore have not been combined in similar ways.Although the digital communications networks or links described in thisinvention are typically based on communication by sending signalsthrough existing electrical power wiring (hence the term “powerlinecommunications”), not all embodiments are restricted to this form ofcommunications. However, when powerline communication is utilizedherein, the result is a system that uses electrical wiring for energydistribution, monitoring, and control as well as security, audio/videocommunications and entertainment, and general network communicationssuch as file transfers and Internet connectivity.

[0023] Energy consumption in most homes/buildings today is made up ofboth electrical power and some form of oil/gas based power. Some homesand buildings use electrical power only. This invention deals with both,although many of the features described can be optionally used indifferent combinations as desired by the customer.

[0024] A primary aspect of this invention is to provide a form of“biofeedback” for home and building energy consumption. By providingeasy to understand information to consumers, they can adjust their usageof energy and still have normal control of their power-consumingdevices—over time transitioning to automated control as they desire.Also, some specific capabilities of this invention enhance theeffectiveness of automated energy controls.

[0025] Electrical energy is typically consumed by devices attached toelectrical junction boxes. These junction boxes are typicallyproliferated throughout a home or building. As a result, they become notonly convenient locations to measure and display electrical powerconsumption—they also provide a convenient means to proliferatetemperature sensors, motion detectors, and video cameras. The samecommunications mechanism used for transmitting power-related data istypically used for these additional functionalities which aid in theenhancement of energy control (both thermal and electrical) whileenhancing security at the same time.

[0026] This invention has the following primary goals regarding energyfeedback:

[0027] 1) Provide “instant feedback” at the point of usage.

[0028] 2) Provide electrical energy usage profiling withmulti-dimensional graphics on a centrally located PC, or ResidentialGateway. Include both spatial usage and usage over time. Transferrelated information via the Internet as necessary and desired.

[0029] 3) Provide thermal profiling on a centrally located PC,Residential Gateway, or Smart Thermostat. Use multi-dimensional graphicsas useful or appropriate. Include both spatial profiling and profilingover time.

[0030] 4) Provide more intelligent and efficient thermal energy usage bycombining a multi dimensional thermal profile with an enhanced and moreintelligent (thermostat) control system for heating and cooling.

[0031] Another object of this invention is to allow easy retrofit of allcomponents into existing homes/buildings with minimal or no modificationto the home/building or special skills required on the part of theinstaller. This goal is greatly facilitated by attachment to andcommunications through existing electrical junction boxes.

[0032] Another object of this invention is to provide integration of theenergy feedback and profiling mechanisms with various known and/or newtypes of control mechanisms.

[0033] A home/building system according to this invention provides aunique solution for energy profiling and feedback, while includingnetwork connectivity, energy control, surveillance, communications, andentertainment functionality as deemed necessary, useful, or desired.This invention essentially creates a “bio-feedback” mechanism for energyuse, covering both electrical and thermal energy, through a systemarchitecture that enables a more thorough and broad-based gathering ofenergy related information. This information is used by the occupant toallow manual control of power consumption in a more informed andeffective manner, and also to allow either partial or fully automaticcontrol of energy consumption to be more effectively performed as well.

[0034] For the most part, this invention takes advantage of thepervasiveness of electrical junction boxes, typically implementing powerplug outlets and the wall switches, within any home or building. Thesebecome convenient locations for installing what are called EMAC (EnergyMonitoring And Control) points. As explained later, an EMAC point willtypically contain one or more forms of energy sensor, often containingboth electrical current sensors and a temperature sensor. Since EMACpoints typically reside at locations having convenient access toelectrical power, they are normally powered directly by this availablesource, and also typically contain a digital communications circuit thatcommunicates with the central computer, Residential Gateway, or otherdata gathering and/or controlling device via power line communications,although other forms of data communications—such as wireless—can be usedunder the right circumstances. This communication link then affords abasic backbone infrastructure for network connections in general. EMACpoints may also communicate with other EMAC points as appropriate.

[0035] Thus, in an environment where network connectivity has not yetbeen made readily available (typically referring to the homeenvironment), the installation of EMAC points creates a local networkinfrastructure that can be built upon before adding other capabilitiesin addition to normal computer connectivity. These include facilitiesfor enabling home surveillance, security, and entertainment. Not allEMAC points contain a “control” capability. In some cases it is notappropriate due to the type of energy consuming device that isconnected, either because it must be “on” all the time, or because it isalready controlled by some other mechanism (for instance a thermostatand/or relay), or because the level of power consumption is high enoughto cause a control capability to be too expensive or inappropriate.

[0036] Wall switches for controlling lights are also convenient andeffective locations for mounting video security cameras. There isusually a wall switch at the entrance to a room and usually it has arelatively commanding view. The easy proliferation of video camerasthroughout a home or building, by way of installation at existingjunction boxes, has considerable security benefit. In particular, such asystem could allow a Security Company or even the Police to view insideand around the home or building in the case of an alarm being set off,so that a “false alarm” condition can be determined without having tovisit the location.

[0037] Wall switches are also convenient locations for incorporatingintercom functionality. Wall mounted power plug receptacles typicallyhave a high degree of proliferation within any room as a result ofconvention and also building codes. Power plug receptacles are thereforeespecially useful for gathering temperature information since theirproliferation allows gathering a thorough profile of the temperaturedistribution within any room.

[0038] Power plug receptacles are also very convenient locations tooffer network connection jacks where any computer or network compatibledevice or appliance may be attached. They are also convenient locationsfor adding motion detectors in order to provide a proliferation ofdetectors in order to enable thorough coverage of rooms not easilycovered from a single vantage point.

[0039] EMAC points dealing specifically with electrical powerconsumption may also be added to the electrical breaker box by:

[0040] 1) Retrofitting EMAC capability into an existing breaker box.

[0041] 2) Adding smart (EMAC enabled) breakers to an existing box, or

[0042] 3) Having a replacement breaker box that has EMAC points added inseries with conventional breakers.

[0043] To effectively provide the aforementioned “biofeedbackcapability” for energy consumption, this invention offers two forms offeedback—local/instant feedback at the point of use, and generalprofiling over both time and space provided to the user by softwarewhich typically runs on a central PC or Residential Gateway. To assistin creating an overall multi dimensional model for a home or building,capabilities are also described that enable either automatic orsemiautomatic identification of EMAC points and their location withinthe home or building.

[0044] To allow a more effective, efficient, and intelligent control ofthermal energy utilization, the concept of collecting temperatureinformation in a highly distributed manner is also utilized to enhancethe capabilities of the traditional thermostat transforming it into a“smart”, network enabled thermostat.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0045] The present invention is described with respect to particularexemplary embodiments thereof and reference is accordingly made to thedrawings in which:

[0046]FIG. 1 shows an overall system view including power distribution,communications circuits and connectivity, central controlling elements(local PC or Residential Gateway, smart thermostat) and various forms ofEMAC points;

[0047]FIG. 2 shows a typical wall switch assembly including an EMACpoint;

[0048]FIG. 3 shows a wall switch assembly including an EMAC point with avariety of display formats for direct visual communication of energyconsumption;

[0049]FIG. 4 shows a wall switch assembly including an EMAC point withan alternative display format for direct visual communication of energyconsumption and local temperature, including a data read out and a suiteof enunciators;

[0050]FIG. 5 shows a wall-mounted power-outlet assembly including anEMAC point;

[0051]FIG. 6 shows a wall-mounted power-outlet assembly with alternatefunctionality;

[0052]FIG. 7 shows an overall system view with emphasis on connectivitythrough the Internet between the local system and utility companies,security companies, and a data service company supplying information tospecifically support the configuration of the particular local system;

[0053]FIG. 8 shows one form of connectivity for video surveillance wherevideo information is transferred from EMAC points to a central locationin the analog format, and are digitized and compressed at that centrallocation before being supplied to the local PC;

[0054]FIG. 9 shows a network hub capability allowing EMAC points havingdifferent data rate transmission capabilities to all talk to the localPC;

[0055]FIG. 10 shows a smart breaker box where a form of EMAC point isused in conjunction with conventional breakers to determine the amountof electrical current being consumed by all devices that are wired to aparticular breaker;

[0056]FIG. 11 shows how an EMAC point can be retrofitted in a standard,conventional breaker box, providing sensing of all incoming and outgoingelectrical current;

[0057]FIG. 12 shows how smart breakers incorporating EMAC points can beretrofitted in a standard, conventional breaker box;

[0058]FIG. 13 shows how an EMAC point is used in conjunction with aconventional light bulb socket of the type typically found in attics andgarages;

[0059]FIG. 14 shows how an assembly including an EMAC point isincorporated into a multi-outlet power strip;

[0060]FIG. 15 shows how an assembly including an EMAC point can beconnected to flow meters monitoring natural gas or heating oilconsumption to allow communication of this information to a local PC;

[0061]FIG. 16 shows a two dimensional layout drawing for a typical homethat has been fully instrumented with EMAC points at wall switch andpower plug locations as well as some dedicated locations for directlywired devices;

[0062]FIG. 17 shows a two dimensional layout drawing for a typical homeincluding a detailed blow-up showing a possible visual representationfor an electrical energy utilization profile;

[0063]FIG. 18 shows a two dimensional layout drawing for a typical homeincluding a possible visual representation for a temperature profile;

[0064]FIG. 19 shows a two dimensional layout drawing for an officeenvironment with distributed temperature sensors communicating throughnetwork connections with smart thermostats;

[0065]FIG. 20 shows an EMAC-enabled wall-outlet having a closuredetection provision allowing the unit to determine when a nearby windowis open;

[0066]FIG. 21 shows an EMAC-enabled wall-outlet having a closuredetection provision allowing the unit to determine when a nearby windowis open, including wireless communication between the EMAC point and theclosure detection sensor;

[0067]FIG. 22 shows a portable or add-on EMAC wall outlet assembly thatcan easily be plugged into an existing conventional wall outlet and canalso be easily moved to other locations within a home or building;

[0068]FIG. 23 shows a portable EMAC identification unit that is used inproximity to, or attached to, an EMAC point. When operating inconjunction with appropriate position locating apparatus, this devicewill assist the user in creating a two dimensional layout map of a homeor building while automatically identifying the location of EMAC points;

[0069]FIG. 24 shows how a portable EMAC identification unit might beused with multiple wireless transmitting beacons to determine itsposition in a manner similar to that used in the GPS (Global PositioningSystem) system;

[0070]FIG. 25 shows how audio information can be transmitted to an EMACpoint over the data connection and then be converted to audible sound bycircuitry which is powered by the same power line that carried the data;

[0071]FIG. 26 shows how a full motion video panel display can beincorporated into an EMAC point allowing a multi-mediaintercom/teleconferencing capability as well as viewing of other areasof the home for surveillance purposes, in addition to displaying energyconsumption and temperature data;

[0072]FIG. 27 shows how assemblies including EMAC points can beserialized by use of a scanned, programmable wiring matrix implementedon a PCB (Printed Circuit Board).

[0073]FIG. 28 shows an EMAC point that functions as an extension to anelectrical junction box, providing a re-creation of the junction boxinterface, and including a video camera and motion detector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0074] The diagram of FIG. 1 shows an architectural overview of how thepresent invention might be implemented in a typical home or building.The incoming AC power line passes through the Utility Company meter 1 onits way to one more breaker boxes 2 before being generally distributedthroughout the home or building through conventional power wiring 3.Throughout the home/building there are user-accessible, electricaljunction box power access locations such as wall switch assembly 4 andpower plug receptacle assembly 5. In addition, there are power-consumingdevices 6 that are directly connected by way of interface module 7.Some, most, or all of these power connection locations can beimplemented, within the scope of this invention, incorporating EnergyMonitoring And Control (EMAC) points. Each EMAC point contains at aminimum an energy sensing capability (electrical, thermal, or both) anda digital communications circuit enabling communication with a centralintelligence such as a local PC 9 (personal computer) or ResidentialGateway residing in the same home/building. Note that throughout thisdocument, “local PC” is considered to be synonymous with “central PC”and “Residential Gateway” in that they all represent a form of centrallylocated intelligence that may perform analysis, control, andcommunications functions. In today's vernacular, a Residential Gatewayis considered to be always in the “ON” condition and provides aconstantly available connection to the Internet 24/7 (24 hours a day and7 days a week). Depending on the particular installation, a local PC canbe “ON” for 24/7 and also perform this function. Alternately, there maybe an additional device that specifically performs the ResidentialGateway function shown as local PC 9. Note that a “smart” thermostat canalso be a form of “centrally located intelligence” that communicateswith EMAC points.

[0075] Note that from the perspective of an EMAC point, a local PC, aResidential Gateway, a Smart Thermostat, or a device located somewhereon the Internet, as well as other EMAC points, are all considered“remote devices”. Also, much of the functionality attributed to local PC9 can also be performed by an intelligent device located at a differentphysical location and connected via the Internet by way of local PC 9 orsome form of Residential Gateway.

[0076] In addition to these basic capabilities, EMAC points canincorporate a number of other additional functionalities, all of whichwill be described herein. Also, although most figures describing thecapabilities of EMAC points show current sensing as the means to measureelectrical power consumption, it is understood that to compute the truepower consumption, the voltage must also be known. If it is desired tomeasure power consumption in an accurate manner that correlates with theUtility Company power bill, then the voltage measurement used forcomputing power consumption should be made as close (from an electricalresistivity standpoint) to the Utility Company power meter as possible.Where any EMAC capability is included at the primary breaker boxlocation, a voltage measurement on the input side would be a goodlocation.

[0077] Although not strictly limited to power lines, communicationbetween EMAC points will typically be carried out by signals sent overpower lines since this medium is obviously convenient at any junctionbox power connection location. Where electrical devices are directlywired (not plugged-in or switched), interface modules 7 may be insertedto allow the EMAC function to be performed. Other possible locations toinsert EMAC functions include light bulb sockets, circuit breaker boxes,and circuit breakers themselves, just to mention a few). Although powerline communication is a focal point of this invention, depending uponthe evolution of data communication technology for the home or buildingenvironment, it may become suitable to utilize other forms such asWireless Communications in the future. It may also be that some forms ofinformation, such as video in its analog form, may be better suited to awireless transmission. Also, for systems implemented in officebuildings, it may be convenient to communicate by way of pre-existingnetwork connections such as Ethernet.

[0078] Another interface module 8 is used to connect between the powerlines and a local PC 9 to enable the communication function to beperformed. Other intelligent devices may also connect to this powerline-based networking capability. In addition to the smart thermostat 10shown in FIG. 1, this networking infrastructure backbone for thehome/building can also be used to implement capabilities in the area ofhome surveillance, home entertainment, or simply connecting computers sothat they may exchange data or connect to the Internet 11. Althoughthroughout the description of this invention, reference will often bemade to communication between EMAC points and a local PC 9, it isunderstood that with the necessary functionality incorporated into anEMAC point, this communication could instead transfer informationdirectly between an EMAC point and a website or other entity via theInternet. EMAC points can also be capable of transferring informationamong themselves, without having to communicate with any central form ofintelligence such as local PC 9, a Residential Gateway, or the Internet11.

[0079] EMAC Points

[0080] Energy monitoring, local feedback, data transmission/receptionand control, along with other functions (such as video surveillanceand/or motion detection, and general-purpose network connections), canbe included at a variety of locations within the home/building. A fewexamples include conventional electrical junction boxes where wallswitches, power plug receptacles, light bulb sockets, and other powerconsuming and/or power-controlling devices may be installed. Otherpossible locations for installing EMAC functionality include circuitbreaker boxes, or circuit breakers themselves.

[0081]FIG. 2 shows how a replacement light switch assembly 12 attachedto an electrical junction box might be implemented to include EMACfunctionality. A current sensor 13 measures the power to the load. Thesesensors can use any of a number of known technologies includinginductive or resistive (current shunt). An optional control unit (ifpresent) can optionally turn the power on/off or dim (for lights) inresponse to a remote command, or can effect various forms of localcontrol for dimming (for lights). Such control modes and others, as wellas their implementations—(often relying on SCR (Silicon ControlledRectifier) devices—are well known in the art. Also, various interactionsthat may take place between a remote device (local PC 9, a smartthermostat, or some remote device communicating via the Internet 11) anda wall switch EMAC point will be discussed later. The implementation ofany EMAC point that includes a switch should always include a means forsensing the switch position (open or closed), regardless of whether ornot current is flowing through it. There may be circumstances where acontrol element in the EMAC point has blocked electrical current frompassing through the switch, however it is necessary for the position ofthe switch to be communicated back to local PC 9 or to some othernetworked device.

[0082] Where a power control function is included in an EMAC point, itis important that the EMAC point operate consistently and predictably,even when the power to the home or building fluctuates or goes off andon, or when a problem arises with a remote device that may issue controlcommands to the particular EMAC point. A “power-on-reset” circuit shouldbe included to insure the EMAC point never gets “confused” by powerfluctuations. Also, when the EMAC point is operating in a mode where itsfunction is being controlled by local PC 9 or some other remote device,the EMAC point may, from time to time, poll the remote device to ensurethat the communications link (and the remote device) are stillfunctioning properly. If the remote device did not respond, indicating apossible problem, the EMAC point should switch to its default mode—forinstance, if there is a light switch, the power should be appliedaccording to the position of the switch.

[0083] The multi-digit display 14 shown in FIG. 2, as well as thedisplays shown in the many other figures included herein, may be usedfor many different purposes. A few examples are listed below:

[0084] 1) Identify to the user the particular switch or outlet assemblyand the individual switches/outlets/devices within the assembly

[0085] 2) Display the current or power (KW/time) being used by the loadat a switch, outlet, device, or breaker.

[0086] 3) Display the cost per time of operating the load attached to aswitch, outlet, device, or breaker.

[0087] 4) Display any mode-related information in response to theoptional mode button(s), in response to voice commands, and/or inresponse to the central PC.

[0088] 5) Display the temperature recorded by the temperature sensor.

[0089] 6) Provide feedback for calibration of the temperature sensor,the optional video camera, or the optional motion detector.

[0090]FIG. 2 also shows an optional video camera 15 as well astemperature sensor 16, motion detector 17 and intercom capability 18comprising microphone 18 a, and speaker 18 b. Some implementations mayallow a single transducer to be used for both the microphone andspeaker. Circuit 13 a shown in FIG. 2 includes a digital communicationscircuit containing all functionality necessary for data transmission andreception. Circuit 13 a also contains the power supply necessary topower any circuitry within the assembly from the available AC powerlocated within the particular junction box, as well as any power controlcircuitry for an electrical load connected to the assembly. In addition,13 a contains all display driver functionality as well as any circuitfunctionality necessary to interface with the optional videocamera—including video digitization and compression functionality.Various functionalities for video digitization and compression are wellknown in the art.

[0091]FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 both show possible implementations of this localdisplay. In the case of electrical energy consumption, the purpose ofthese displays is to provide instant visual feedback to the user onenergy consumption at the point of use. When displaying temperature,these displays are a guide to thermal energy efficiency by showing theuser instantly where certain areas of the home/building have been madeoverly hot or overly cool beyond what is desired or necessary therebyconsuming excess and therefore wasted energy.

[0092] These local displays may have any number of digits, depending onthe specific requirement. The multi-digit display need not only be ofthe seven-segment variety as shown in enlarged view 14 a. One or more ofthe digits could be alphanumeric (either with additional segments, or afull matrix as indicated by 14 b and 14 c [e.g. 5×7, 7×12, etc.]).Utilizing more than a simple seven-segment capability may provide a moreinformative and intuitive user interface. This may be especially usefulin displaying symbols like “$” or “¢” in the scenario described below.

[0093] A key element of this invention is related to display purposenumber (3) listed above (“Display the cost per time of operating theload attached to the switch, outlet, device, or breaker.”). The local PC9 (or Internet 11 directly) can supply the current cost per unit ofenergy (kW, Therm, etc.) for the consumer's home/building which, inturn, is used to convert the energy consumption level to a cost-per-timeparameter, for instance $/month. Energy cost parameters can beautomatically accessed from time to time over the Internet. (Energy costparameters could also be accessed directly over the Internet by an EMACfunction, if this EMAC function was designed to incorporate enoughintelligence to directly access the Internet.) The energy consumptionvalue at the point of use is then displayed on the switch panel therebyproviding instant feedback to the consumer. The conversion calculationfrom “current consumption” to “cost per time” can be performed in thelocal controller at the switch or at local PC 9. FIG. 3 shows howanother alternate form of the local display can be implemented.

[0094] In addition to the forms of display shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, it isalso possible to utilize a generalized LCD matrix display (discussedlater with reference to FIG. 26) similar to those now found in smallwireless communication devices and/or hand-held video games.Incorporation of an LCD matrix display would allow a full motion videoimage to be shown, further enhancing the overall system capability byallowing the user to view images being recorded at cameras elsewhere inthe home from any room having an EMAC point with such an LCD matrixdisplay. Since it is possible according to this invention to also addsurveillance cameras which observe activity around the exteriors of thehome, this capability to add video-capable LCD displays to EMAC pointsis also useful to enhance the security/ surveillance capabilities of theoverall system.

[0095] Both FIGS. 2 and 3 show optional control buttons 118 that can beused to determine the form of the information displayed, and/or affectthe operation of an EMAC function. An alternative to using any controlbuttons on an EMAC point and a way of adding additional functionality isto incorporate a voice recognition technology into the system. Thisrecognition function can be performed by hardware and software containedwithin the EMAC point. Alternately, it can be performed without addingadditional hardware cost to the EMAC point itself by utilizing themicrophone, such as that required to implement intercom 18 in FIG. 2.This microphone will receive voice information that in turn can bedigitized and sent to local PC 9 for analysis. Voice recognitionsoftware is well known and can be trained to respond well to the voicesof the home's primary occupants. This incorporation of voice recognitionsoftware can be used for a variety of purposes in conjunction with EMACpoints including remote control of functionality at the particular EMACpoint receiving the voice command or alternately controlling other EMACpoints within the home. Control of any Home Systems functionality by auser interfacing with a particular EMAC point can alternately beaccomplished by some form of remote control receiver—either IR(Infrared) or wireless—that is incorporated into an EMAC point.

[0096] The display incorporated into an EMAC point can also be used fordisplaying the temperature or other parameters. Where more parametersare to be displayed than there are digits or space available, thedisplay can alternately display different parameters in multiplexedintervals. This is also the methodology shown in FIG. 4 for displayingthe power consumption for each of multiple receptacles. Enunciator LEDscould be used or, if necessary, an additional digit can be added toindicate the position of a particular receptacle whose parameter isbeing displayed at the moment. To indicate what type of information isbeing displayed and/or what units of measurement are being displayed,other forms of display means can be used. For instance, enlarged view 14d of display 14 in FIG. 4 shows that multiple enunciator icons 19representing parameters or identifying power consuming loads (switches,outlets, etc.) can exist on the display. The appropriate one(s) of theseenunciator icons are then illuminated/highlighted depending on whatenergy or temperature information is being displayed at the moment. Thedisplay technology can be LED, LCD, gas discharge, or any otheravailable and appropriate technology. Depending upon the displaytechnology chosen, an additional display driver chip may need to beincorporated into the EMAC function.

[0097] Also shown in FIG. 4, are a number of optional functionsincluding temperature sensor 16, video camera 15, and motion detector17. If motion detection is desired, it can be done through a standardsensor (usually IR), or could alternately be performed by image analysisperformed on the video image either locally or remotely. Each method hasadvantages and disadvantages.

[0098] The easy proliferation of video cameras throughout a home orbuilding, by way of installation at existing junction boxes, hasconsiderable security benefit. Since video camera 15 is connected tolocal PC 9 through a communications link, it can be viewed remotely viathe Internet after the video information has been digitized andcompressed. The video camera can be statically mounted and include awide-angle lens and manually operated gimbal capability. Optionally, thevideo camera could include a motorized gimbal to allow remotelycontrolled movement (even via the Internet). In many instances, it maybe desirable to include On/Off switch 15 a to control video camera 15such that the camera may be turned off when privacy is desired.Information regarding the position of this switch may also be madeavailable through the communications link to local PC 9 and/or a remotedevice on the Internet.

[0099] Regardless of how the video camera is controlled, images thathave been transferred to the central PC can also be automatically movedto an off-site web/domain server for storage. Thus, if the surveillancecamera detects and captures images of an intruder or some importantevent, the images will be preserved even if the PC in the home/buildingis damaged, destroyed or stolen. A buffer of the video surveillanceinformation storing video information for some fixed period of time intothe past, can be stored at an off site location, via the Internet. In amode where the system is armed for intruder detection, or alternatelytied into a conventional security system for intruder detection, and anintruder is detected; this historical buffer of the information can bepreserved to aid in the identification of the intruder and therecreation of the event. Any video information moved offsite is probablyencrypted to ensure the privacy of the occupant.

[0100] The detection of a possible intruder can be performed by theelements of this invention, by a separate conventional security system,or both working together. Given the inconvenience and expense of falsealarms, the distributed video capability of this invention, made easierto implement due to its installation and communications through existingjunction boxes, could allow a Security Company or even the Police toview inside and around the home or building in the case of an alarmbeing set off, so that a “false alarm” condition can be determinedwithout having to visit the location. To make such a capabilityacceptable to the occupant, especially in the case of a residence, itwould be imperative that there exist a privacy mechanism (in software)such that the local PC or Residential Gateway does not allow any viewingby the Police or Security Company unless an intruder detection alert isin progress.

[0101] In general, transmission and storage of video information can bebased on motion information derived from the motion detectors in eachroom. If no motion is occurring, storing a static snapshot taken atregular intervals may be completely adequate. When motion is detected,the video information from that area of the home or building can berecorded completely and buffered. A remote interface via the Internetcoupling into this Home System can show a plan of the home or building,wherein the user can see a two dimensional map of where motion has beendetected and also see the most recent snapshots (in small “thumbnail”pictures) allowing the user to click on a room or camera location andimmediately see the live action video from that location.

[0102] Depending on the available bandwidth of the connection in thehome/building between the video camera and local PC 9, it may not benecessary to have full speed/live action video to serve a usefulpurpose. Even a “jerky” picture or one with reduced resolution may stillconstitute a very useful function if it is available at a significantlylower price and if the low price allows a much more prolific deploymentthroughout the home/building. Also, regardless of the bandwidthavailable to transfer digitized video images to local PC 9 or directlyto the Internet, the cost of the video camera may be significantlyreduced (with a corresponding reduction in image quality) by using anewly available video sensor technology. Here, video sensor arrays canbe constructed on a standard CMOS semiconductor process and potentiallyintegrated onto the same chip with other functions required to implementthe various features of an EMAC function. It may also be acceptable touse black & white video if it is available at a much lower price thancolor.

[0103] An alternative mechanism for sending video information from anEMAC point to local PC 9 and the Internet may include analog videotransmission from the EMAC point to a device, located near local PC 9,which receives, digitizes and optionally compresses the video as will beshown in FIG. 8.

[0104]FIG. 5 shows an EMAC configuration similar to FIG. 2 except thatit describes a power plug receptacle assembly, containing at least onereceptacle location 20, instead of a switch. FIG. 5 also includes anoptional video camera 15. Note that according to this invention, anyelectrical junction box is a possible location for installing a videocamera, and that when installed, the camera can be powered by the sourceof AC power available at the junction box, and the video signal, afterbeing digitized and compressed, may be transmitted digitally by way ofthe available power connection to local PC 9 or some other remotedevice.

[0105]FIG. 6 shows a power receptacle assembly similar to FIG. 5 exceptthat optional network connection jack 21 is included. This networkconnection jack can offer standard Ethernet compatibility. If the typeof data transmit/receive link used to transfer information to/from theEMAC point and local PC 9 possesses a bandwidth capability compatiblewith normal network data, it may be convenient and useful to includethis conventional network connection jack as part of the powerreceptacle assembly. Power receptacles are the most proliferated form ofwired connection points within any home or building.

[0106] Also shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are motion detectors 17. These can beespecially useful in filling in the “blind spots” that occur if the onlymotion detector controlling a light is located in the wall switchassembly. To avoid unwanted detection of pet movement, the lenses forthe motion detectors on power plug EMAC points can be fashioned so as tolook to higher elevations for motion. Since power receptacles are soproliferated, using these locations for installing EMAC points providesa very thorough picture of temperature, motion, and even video, withinthe home or building.

[0107] Also shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 are circuits for controlling thepower available at receptacle 20 in response to commands received from aremote communications link. In some implementations of such a powercontrolling circuit, the maximum allowable power that may be drawnthrough the receptacle may be artificially lowered by the presence ofthe controlling circuit. It therefore may be appropriate to provide aphysical mechanism for overriding or bypassing the power controllingcircuit such that the maximum allowable electrical current level for theplug receptacle is not artificially lowered.

[0108] As an alternative to the wired Ethernet connection shown in FIG.6, a different connection methodology to allow devices or applianceswithin a particular room to communicate with an EMAC point for datacommunications would be the addition of a wireless transceiver to theEMAC point. This can be done by having a small, optional module thatplugs into a connector on the EMAC point, deriving power from, andcommunicating with the EMAC point, while communicating in a wirelessmanner with other devices in the room. An example of such a wirelesstechnology is that currently referred to as “Bluetooth”. Many wirelesstechnologies have a limited range within which they can operatereliably, for instance 10 to 30 meters. The range of wirelesstechnologies can vary considerably, especially within a homeenvironment, depending upon the number of walls the signal must passthrough and the structural content of each particular wall. Within aparticular room, however, wireless technology can be very convenient,especially when interfacing with a portable computer or entertainmentequipment. An example of a wireless communication module attached to anEMAC point is module 65 shown in FIG. 21.

[0109]FIG. 7 shows a possible overall connection scheme for ahome/building according to this invention where all EMAC points canconnect with local PC 9 that, in turn, communicates via the Internet 11where a central source of information will supply energy cost rates andother utility-related information. The central source of informationcould be a Utility Company 22 or a third-party supplier such as DataService Company 23. Information may also be transferred to and from aSecurity Company 24 such that any security related information such assurveillance video, motion detector outputs, or window/door opendetection indications may be viewed at the Security Company.

[0110] The overall system of FIG. 7 includes wall switches 4, receptacleplugs 5, directly wired loads 8, and breaker boxes 2 (both conventionaland “Smart”—per FIGS. 10, 11, and 12). Included in FIG. 7 is thepotential for the Utility Companies to provide a “Smart Meter” thatwould interface with the Internet 11 and could potentially communicatewith the system described in this invention. Also, as shown in FIG. 11,a smart breaker box according to this invention can measure the currententering the breaker box and therefore is capable of checking theaccuracy of the existing Utility Company meter.

[0111]FIG. 8 illustrates the scenario where video information istransferred from cameras contained at EMAC points to a central locationusing an analog transmission format as opposed to digital. Eventuallythe cost of converting video information from analog to digital andperforming video compression will be reduced to the point thatincorporating compression into each EMAC location will be inexpensive.Also, over time, the cost of a high bandwidth connection between EMAClocations will also be greatly reduced. However initially, it may bemore cost-effective to transmit information as some form of analogsignal to a central location where these signals are converted todigital form and the video compression and/or conversion technology isshared among the different video sources. Such a mechanism for sharingthe video compression capability is shown as interface module 25 in FIG.8.

[0112] The video compression function 26 shown in FIG. 8 may also beperformed in the local PC 9 if the PC's processing capability isadequate. Also, as described earlier, the determination of which videosignal to digitize and compress at any given point in time can be madeat the local PC by examining the outputs of the motion detectors at theEMAC points from which the video signals are being sent.

[0113]FIG. 9 addresses the issue of how the data rate capabilities ofavailable EMAC points may increase over time, and how the overall systemwill cope with this by offering a multi-data rate communicationsconsolidation capability located near the local PC 9. The capability ofcommunicating between local PC 9 and various EMAC points at differentdata rates is also important since different types of EMAC points mayrequire different data rate capabilities even though they're all beingpurchased and installed at the same time. For instance, an EMAC pointthat is controlling and monitoring power consumption and temperature mayrequire only a very low data rate capability. EMAC points that willoffer networking connectivity capable of supporting a broadband Internetconnection today might require a one megabit per second capability. Tooffer a normal 10 megabit Ethernet connection capability, EMAC pointswould obviously need to communicate at 10 megabits per second. Totransfer digital video would also require a reasonably fast data rate.The cost of an EMAC point is therefore significantly affected by thedata rate it must support, and therefore the most cost-effective overallsolution for the home system may be to utilize EMAC points having avariety of data rates. Hence an implementation strategy such as thatshown in FIG. 9 containing a form of a network hub 27 andreceive/transmit units 28, which may all have different data rates, maybe the appropriate solution to the problem.

[0114] A modular implementation for hub 27 can be constructed wherethere exist slots designed to accept cards or modules representingreceive/transmit units 28, each of which may have a different datatransfer rate capability. Besides having a different transfer rate, suchmodular receive/transmit units may still each conform to an industrystandard for powerline communications. For instance, one might conformto the X10 standard, one to the CEBus standard, and others conforming tonewer standards such as those being studied by the Home Plug Allianceorganization, or any future standard. Such a modular approach allows theuser to mix and match capabilities as required—producing the mostcost-effective and conveniently assembled home system. A modular hubassembly as just described would have a host interface circuit thatcould support a variety of output standards, such as standard Ethernet,USB, and/or any other, and would interface with local PC 9 or aprocessor performing the Residential Gateway function, or alternately adevice located somewhere on the Internet.

[0115]FIG. 10 shows a “Smart” breaker box where each breaker 29 hasassociated with it an EM (Energy Monitoring) point 30. EM points locatedin breaker boxes typically contain the current sensing, receive,transmit, and possibly display functions, but typically do not perform acontrol function. Sensing temperature would also not be an appropriatefunction within a breaker box relative to providing useful ambienttemperature readings, since there is usually a natural build-up of heatwithin a breaker box. However, a temperature sensor might be useful ifthe user wished to know of the occurrence of an unusually hightemperature build-up within the breaker box itself.

[0116] Information supplied by these EM points can be correlated withinformation sent from EMAC points located downstream of each breaker toassist in providing a clear and complete picture of where all electricalpower is being consumed within the electrical circuit being served bythat particular breaker. For some power-consuming devices that aredirectly wired, inserting an EMAC point at the breaker location may bethe easiest way to retrofit the EMAC capability.

[0117]FIG. 11 shows an alternate form of a “smart” breaker box where thecurrent sensing, display and communications capabilities commonlyassociated with the EMAC points of this invention, can be retrofittedinto a standard breaker box. The retrofit EM (Energy Monitoring) controlunit 31 supports the connection of multiple current sensing units 32,including current sensor 33 which measures current entering the breakerbox from the incoming A/C power line. Keyboard 34 on EM unit 31, ifpresent, aids in the identification of the particular breaker units inthe box which is necessary for proper processing of energy related dataat the local PC 9, but also useful to aid the user in understandingwhich breaker relates to which area of their home. It is a well-knownfact that in most homes, the correlation between specific breakers andthe energy use locations that they supply is typically very poorlydocumented.

[0118]FIG. 12 shows an additional way to provide a similar capability ofinstalling EM capability without having to retrofit the entire breakerbox in an existing home/building. Here, the feedback/monitor pointfunctions would be incorporated into the circuit breakers 35 themselveswhich, in turn, would fit into an existing, conventional breaker box.Obviously, breaker-related EM points would concentrate on electricalcurrent measurement as their primary function. Integrating the EMfunction into the breaker itself obviously would require a high degreeof miniaturization, especially if integral (and optional) display 36 isincluded.

[0119] It should be noted that in FIGS. 10,11, and 12, all relating tomeasurement of electrical current entering or leaving a breaker box orother electrical distribution box, that the ability to measure theincoming current with a reasonable degree of accuracy will allow theuser to correlate their power consumption with that registered by theirutility company's power meter, as reflected in their power bill. Manyutility company power meters are extremely old and may not be consistentor properly calibrated, thereby overcharging the user.

[0120] Also, relative to the breaker box solutions shown in FIGS. 10,11, 12, a particular installation may be done such that all of the loads“downstream” of a particular breaker do not include EMAC points. Infact, for some breakers, no EMAC points may exist downstream. In thesecircumstances, a useful method for identifying the power consumed byconnected devices is to establish an “energy signature” for each deviceby turning on only one at a time, during a set-up/calibration process,and recording the typical energy usage for each device. This “signature”may also include any unique characteristics of the waveform shape forthe ramp-up of the instantaneous electrical current consumption, or theeffect on the measured voltage waveform at the breaker box, when thedevice is initially turned on. These “signatures” can later be used foridentifying the energy used by particular electrical energy consumingdevices when performing an overall profile according to this invention.

[0121]FIG. 13 shows an EMAC point designed to work in conjunction withan “old-fashioned” light bulb socket. These sockets are still prevalentin attics and garages today. In addition to monitoring the power theirlight bulbs use (they can easily be left on accidentally for longperiods of time), since they are located in attics and garages, they canalso provide an important thermal feedback function. Attics and garagestend to act as heat reservoirs that can be a source of energy in winterand a drain (due to fan/air conditioning power consumption) in summer.Notice that EMAC point 37 is somewhat remotely located from light bulb38 to reduce any thermal contamination from the heat produced by thebulb. Intercept adapter 39 is included to divert the power to EMAC unit37, which is separated from bulb 38 by thermal isolation distance 40.Also, for the unit of FIG. 13 to monitor temperature and transmit thatinformation to the central computer, a power control function may be anabsolute necessity if the bulb is to remain off when light is notrequired (especially important in the attic) depending on whether thebulb socket is remotely switched or not.

[0122] To demonstrate that other forms of power outlets can be adaptedto include EMAC points, FIG. 14 shows how a common power strip 41 caninclude these capabilities. Another form of portable, add-on EMAC pointis discussed in FIG. 22 in more detail.

[0123]FIG. 15 shows how the concepts described previously can beextended to other forms of energy monitoring/feedback with an emphasison oil and natural gas used to produce thermal energy. Flow meters 42and 43 are inserted into the line carrying the gas/oil to the thermalenergy-producing device. The output of each flow meter is then connectedto interface modules 44 and 45 respectively that act as EMAC points in amanner somewhat similar to the examples shown in the previous figures.In a similar way, point-of-use feedback is provided and data istransmitted to central PC 9 for use in assembling the overall profile ofenergy usage for the home/building.

[0124] Software operating on central PC 9, among other functions, willbe able to create a multi-dimensional map of energy usage as well asprioritized listings of where different amounts of energy are used. Someexamples of this capability are described next.

[0125]FIG. 16 shows a two-dimensional plan layout for an example homewhere locations for all power plugs 46, wall switches 47, and dedicatedenergy using appliances 48 are identified accordingly. This layout planforms the basis for energy profiling diagrams that can be presented tothe user, thereby allowing easy identification of energy usage anomaliesor to better guide the user in implementing more efficient energy usage.

[0126]FIG. 17 shows the overall layout for a home where electricalenergy usage has been annotated for each of the EMAC points deployed. Ablow up view 49 of one section of the home shows how energy usageparameters 50 can be annotated to show the specific energy consumptionat any EMAC location. The sample numbers shown for parameters 50 mightbe in instantaneous Watts, however alternatively, these parameters couldbe shown as an average consumption over a specific time period. Also, ashas been previously shown for the direct feedback energy consumptiondisplays incorporated into EMAC points, the energy consumptionparameters in FIG. 17 could display information indicating the cost pertime of the energy consumed, again either instantaneously or over somespecific time period. The display of FIG. 17 could easily highlight eachparticular EMAC location designator in a different color according tothe level of energy being consumed. Since the diagram of FIG. 17 isshown in black and white, the relative level of energy consumption hasbeen shown visually by the relative thickness of the borders surroundingthe plug or switch EMAC point designator. For instance power plug 51consuming 930 watts, the largest amount consumed of any EMAC pointwithin blowup 49, has the widest border. EMAC point 52 having the nexthighest level of energy consumption (700 watts) is shown with the secondwidest border. In an actual software product implementing such a displayfor the user, the highest energy consuming points might be displayed inthe brightest red color, while the lowest energy consuming points mightbe displayed in darkest blue, with mid ranges of consumption levelsbeing displayed in intermediate shades of color.

[0127] Information from temperature sensors 16 is displayed locally atthe particular EMAC point for direct visual feedback, but is also sentto the local PC 9 for processing to allow the creation of a temperatureprofile for the home/building. FIG. 18 shows a similar layout plan tothat of FIG. 17 except that the annotated information reflects the localtemperature at each EMAC location. FIG. 18 displays the overalltemperature profile in two dimensions (for each level of a multi-levelhome/building) and can provide feedback (including time-relatedinformation) that can help the user reduce (thermal) energy costs by wayof a number of useful mechanisms:

[0128] 1) Areas of the home/building that are being heated or cooledunnecessarily will stand out and the user can take the appropriatecorrective action. For instance, overheated areas 53 indicate rooms thatare much hotter than necessary, prompting the user to take correctiveaction such as closing vents that are unnecessarily open. Thisinformation can also drive a more elaborate automation scheme whereautomated control of thermal delivery mechanisms is used. Such deliverymechanisms are exemplified by the electrically controlled wall/floor airflow registers manufactured by EWC Controls of Englishtown, N.J. Otherforms of electrically controlled vents, ducts, and registers havingcontrollable, variable air flow are manufactured by a number of othersuppliers.

[0129] 2) Software on the central PC that operates on the thermalprofile of the home/building can detect thermal gradients and may beuseful in pointing out areas of thermal leakage such as poor weatherseals on exterior doors and windows. Notice that EMAC point 54 locatednear a door of the home displays a temperature of 65 degrees even thoughthe thermostat set at 72 degrees is just around the corner. This wouldtend to indicate that the seal around the door is most probablyinadequate and causing significant energy leakage. The greater thenumber of temperature sensing points that are placed around thehome/building, and especially within a particular room, the moreaccurate a gradient profile will be able to be produced. To furtherdisplay temperature gradients in a form familiar to most users,additional software could display extrapolated temperature gradientinformation in a manner similar to that shown for temperature profilingon weather maps. The more temperature sensors are located in aparticular area of the home or building, the more accurate theseextrapolated thermal gradient maps would be.

[0130] It should be noted that a profiling capability can also beimplemented on a Smart Thermostat that is network-connected. Even ifsuch a thermostat does not possess the display size and resolution of aPC or Gateway, useful information can still be provided. For instance,with only one EMAC point in each room or zone in a house, thetemperature in each room or zone can be displayed. Also, rooms that arebeing overheated or overcooled can be enunciated. In one embodiment, aSmart Thermostat could even have a panel display and a miniaturekeyboard (possibly “QWERETY” style) together enabling a more capableuser interface, more familiar identification of rooms and zones, andeven a multidimensional thermal profile display.

[0131] To make accurate use of the temperature sensor information, it isimportant that any heat energy generated in the switch or plugreceptacles not affect the measurement. For this reason, the temperaturesensor will usually be located at the lowest point within a switch orplug EMAC location. It may also be necessary to make the faceplatelarger to move the temperature sensor farther from any source ofpotentially-interfering heat. A switch or plug location is a naturalheat generator simply due to the contact resistance where the wiring isattached, the contact resistance of a switch, or the resistance formedat the interface where a plug is pushed into a receptacle socket.Additional heat can also be generated if the EMAC location includes acontrolling capability where a semiconductor device is used to clip theA/C waveform—a process having less than 100% efficiency and thereforegenerating additional heat.

[0132] Other variations on a temperature sensor may be possible. Inparticular, a sensor might be constructed where multiple IR temperaturesensing elements are used in conjunction with a prism or alternatelywhere each sensor is directional and is aligned in a differentdirection, thereby gathering temperature information from differentareas of the room such that a spatial image of the thermal gradients inthe room can be established.

[0133]FIG. 19 shows what can be accomplished when the distributedtemperature data collection mechanism of EMAC points is utilized toallow a more intelligent control of the temperature in multi-room ormulti-cubicle environments while still utilizing a single thermostat (atthe existing location) to control existing heating/cooling units. FIG.19 shows an office environment containing both enclosed offices and anarray of cubicles—however the same principles embodied here can beemployed in any home or building environment employing EMAC points.Also, the capabilities that will be described relative to FIG. 19 do notrequire all of the previously described EMAC functionality to bepresent. In fact, a system consisting of distributed temperature sensorswith some form of network interface capability, communicating with asmarter thermostat also having network communication capability, willsuffice. Note that a “smarter” network connected thermostat such as 55and 58 in FIG. 19, should contain a default mode wherein the thermostatreverts to the mode of operation of a traditional thermostat if itsability to collect distributed temperature information is compromised,or if a switch on the thermostat is thrown to force the thermostat intothe “traditional” mode of operation.

[0134] Also, note that a similar functionality to that described abovefor FIG. 19 can be achieved by having the network-enabled temperaturesensors communicate with any of a number of intelligent controllers,including local PC 9, a Residential Gateway, a dedicated intelligentthermal control system, or even a remote device located elsewhere on theInternet.

[0135] The problem being addressed in FIG. 19 is that where thetemperature observed at the thermostat location is not at all indicativeof the average temperature over the area being served. For instance,thermostat 55 located in one office might control the heating andcooling for the entire row of offices. Due to variations in the ductingand vent structure, as well as the temperature variation across the rowof offices during the course of a day as the position of the sunchanges, it is not uncommon for some offices to be painfully cold orwarm relative to the office possessing the thermostat. For instance,without the control capability embodied in this invention, thermostat 55may be set to 72 degrees, temperature sensor 56 might register 70degrees, and temperature sensor 57 might register 80 degrees. Withnetwork connected temperature sensors installed in all offices,including the offices containing sensors 56 and 57, the thermostat cancompute an average temperature over all of the offices and control theheating/cooling system to reach an overall compromise of temperatures asshown in FIG. 19, thereby eliminating the excessively hot or coollocations that would previously have occurred.

[0136] A similar capability can be implemented for an array of opencubicles such as cubicle array 59 where the heating and cooling iscontrolled by thermostat 58 possessing a network connection. It shouldbe noted that the distributed temperature collection capability requiredto implement the functionality of FIG. 19 does not require networkconnectivity over power lines as described in most embodiments of thisinvention. A smart temperature sensor connected to an Ethernet portwould suffice to implement this capability, and in most office andcubicle environments today, Ethernet connections are plentiful. Also,the existing thermostat location and connections can be utilized withthe addition of a network connection.

[0137] A variation on the capability shown in FIG. 19, and applicable toany environment having the ability to collect temperature information ina distributed manner, relates to a home where multiple EMAC points havebeen installed around a room or around multiple rooms. Here, a smartthermostat communicating with these EMAC points can be programmed toachieve a desired temperature at a specific location within each roomduring specific time periods (essentially ignoring the temperature atthe thermostat itself). For instance, the system could seek to achieve atemperature of 70° in the Kitchen from 5:00 to 7:00 PM and then seek atemperature of 70° at the Living Room couch location from 7:00 PM to10:00 PM.

[0138] Of course, a more desirable overall thermal result could beachieved for scenarios similar to those described for FIG. 19 if thecontrolling device (smart thermostat, PC, or other form of intelligentprocessor) is also able to control the amount of airflow allowed througha multitude of distributed, electrically controlled, variable airflowvents, ducts, or registers.

[0139]FIG. 20 shows how an EMAC point can offer a closure detectioncapability that, when connected to a closure-sensing switch 60 on awindow 63, can determine whether the window is open or closed. Whilethis feature certainly has application in performing a securityfunction, a very common loss of energy in many homes occurs when windowsare inadvertently left open. Therefore such a closure detectioncapability is valuable within an energy management scheme as well. WhileFIG. 20 shows an additional jack 61 on the EMAC wall outlet, the wirefrom the closure sensor could connect directly with network jack 62assuming the closure sensor had an Ethernet connection capability.

[0140]FIG. 21 shows a window closure detection capability similar toFIG. 20, except that a wireless closure sensor 64 communicates withwireless communication module 65 located on the EMAC point. Thiswireless communication module 65 could be a very simple low bandwidthlow-cost unit, given the simplicity of its task, and its close proximityto the windows within the room it services. Even a simple wirelesscommunication module 65 could be designed to communicate with multiplewireless closure sensors 64 within a single room.

[0141] Alternately, wireless communication module 65 might have a higherbandwidth capability, allowing more sophisticated local communicationswithin a room or zone. A more sophisticated wireless communicationmodule might be implemented with a technology such as “Bluetooth”,previously referred to as an alternative local connection capability inthe description relating to FIG. 6. Such a more sophisticated wirelessmodule could still communicate with window closure detection modules 65,but could also communicate with any wireless network-enabled device orappliance within the room being served that was capable of communicatingvia the “Bluetooth Standard”. This wireless configuration can evensupport communication with a wireless-enabled laptop/notebook computerthat can move about within a room or zone.

[0142] Other standards than Bluetooth can be supported in this way,including the IEEE 802.11 standard commonly used today for localwireless communications. As mentioned earlier, communicating betweenEMAC points through power lines circumvents difficulties encounteredwith wireless communication in many home environments (including802.11), where wireless signals often have great difficulty travelingthrough multiple walls.

[0143] In the configuration described in the previous paragraph, therewould be multiple local wireless communication modules 65, sometimes oneto a room or one to a zone if the range of a single module cansuccessfully penetrate a wall or two. Each of these local modules is nowessentially a host in its own right. The home or building environmentnow resembles a cellular phone system with multiple hosts and zones, andrequires a management scheme that may be similar. A moveable wirelessdevice might switch from communicating with one particular module 65 toa different module 65 as its location changes. Alternately, a wirelessclient device having a fixed location, like window closure detector 64,can be programmed to communicate exclusively with a specific wirelesscommunication module 65.

[0144]FIG. 22 shows a form of portable/add-on EMAC point 67 that caneasily plug into an existing wall outlet plug receptacle installed inelectrical junction box 66. While this capability is very similar to thepower strip EMAC point shown in FIG. 14, it is different in that itwould replace the cover plate on the plug receptacle at junction box 66and after being plugged in, would effectively become a new cover plate,but with considerably enhanced capabilities. FIG. 22 also shows, inaddition to previously described temperature sensor 16 and motiondetector 17, a light intensity detector 68 that may be useful if, forinstance, this portable EMAC point is the only EMAC point installed in aparticular room. One of the benefits of having a portable, easily addedunit like that in FIG. 22, is that it allows the user to purchase alimited number of EMAC points in order to start using theircapabilities, without making a more permanent installation by replacingactual plug receptacles or wall switches. Therefore, it may be useful tohave a light detection capability such that a profile of lighting usagecan be established by software running on central PC 9. Also notice thatportable EMAC point 67 may contain any number of plug receptaclelocations 20 (six are shown here). Having multiple outlets not onlyoffers the user the convenience of not having to use a multiple outletextension cord or power strip when more than two power consumingdevices/appliances must be plugged in, it also provides independentenergy monitoring for each of these receptacle locations therebyproviding more precise information on energy utilization. In addition,display 14 in FIG. 22 can display the total power consumption at thereceptacle location and even provide a warning if the maximum allowablepower level for a receptacle assembly is being exceeded. Alternately, anaudio emitting transducer within unit 67 could provide a similarwarning.

[0145] When a system according to this invention is installed in a homeor building whereby a multitude of EMAC points are distributedthroughout multiple rooms, it then becomes necessary to identify thelocation of each EMAC point in order for software running on local PC 9to perform profiling of data relating to energy consumption. The largerthe quantity of EMAC points, the more complex and time-consuming thistask becomes. It therefore becomes useful to have a mechanism toautomate this process of identifying specific EMAC point locations.Another related task is that of drawing an electronic representation ofthe two-dimensional plan layout for the home or building that isrequired for proper display of the profiling information. For mostexisting homes, and even some new homes, this electronic representationwill either be nonexistent or inconvenient to gain access to. A methodfor automatically creating an electronic plan layout and, at the sametime, identifying all EMAC points, would be both efficient and useful.

[0146] Portable EMAC identification unit 70, shown in FIG. 23, can beused to perform this capability. This particular unit relies on awireless antenna 71 constructed in such a manner that when receivingsignals from multiple transmission beacons, the position of unit 70 canbe accurately determined through triangulation. Principles such as thoseused in the GPS (Global Positioning System) may be utilized where thebeacons and receiver all contain synchronized clocks and signal traveltimes from different beacons (similar in concept to GPS satellites) arecompared—the position being determined by triangulation. Differentfrequencies and signal strengths would have to be used to enable thepenetration of walls of the home or building.

[0147] Alternately, a similar system can be constructed where unit 70contains a transponder. The transponder echoes each signal received backto the source beacon where the distance is determined by phase shiftinformation that is then communicated back to unit 70. EMACidentification unit 70 can identify EMAC locations by plugging into apower plug 72, or simply by placing it adjacent to a power consumingswitch, or a device with dedicated wiring, and indicating throughintegral keypad 73 or optional keyboard 74, the device being located. Aswill be explained later in FIG. 27, each EMAC point may have an integralserial number that can be used as part of the identification process.

[0148]FIG. 24 shows an overall view of a home or building whereidentification unit 70 receives signals from a plurality of wirelesstransmission beacons 75. The exact placement of these beacons may not becritical since, once a reference point has been established foridentification unit 70, only relative position information is necessaryto establish the locations of EMAC points, as well as the dimensions andlayout plan of the home or building. If it is desirable to determineEMAC locations in three dimensions, a third beacon located at adifferent elevation setting from the initial two beacons 75 may beadded. Accordingly, the antennae on identification unit 70 would have tobe enhanced to allow position detection in three dimensions. More thanthree beacons may be useful in some circumstances where signals havedifficulty penetrating the building structure in some places.

[0149] In fact, given proper frequencies along with the appropriatecircuitry and antenna system within the identification unit, it would bepossible to establish positions with a resolution of distances to afraction of an inch. In this case, the system described in FIG. 24 isalso capable of becoming a measurement system. Such a measurement systemcould be developed and used independent of any specific use relative toenergy or thermal information, being used solely as a semi-automatic wayto obtain precise dimensions of an existing home or building in order tocreate an accurate drawing. The need to create an accurately dimensioneddrawing of an existing home or building occurs quite frequently whenmodifications to an existing structure are being planned.

[0150]FIG. 25 shows how audio information, in particular music, can betransmitted via a digital communications circuit through power lines,thereby enabling an audio output node unit 76 containing a Speaker 77 aswell as interface circuit 78. Interface circuit 78 would have theability to receive and transmit information as well as convert a digitalaudio stream to an amplified signal capable of driving Speaker 77.Interface circuit 78 may also contain some form of remote controlreceiver 79 which could be either infrared or wireless. With this remotecontrol capability included, interface circuit 78 may also contain atransmit capability such that any control requests can be forwarded tosimilar audio output nodes and/or to the source of the audio informationvia the powerline network.

[0151]FIG. 26 shows how the integral display contained in many of theEMAC points of this invention could be constructed as a general purposevideo panel display 80. Of course, video display 80 could provide all ofthe energy-related information described for variations of integraldisplay 14 shown in earlier figures. In addition, given a connectionwith sufficient bandwidth (either digital or via analog video signal),display 80 can show a picture captured by any video camera 15 within thehome or building, or alternately can display video information beingtransferred to the home or building via the Internet. Essentially, thiscreates a “video intercom” capability. When combined with audio intercom18, a multimedia intercom capability is created, which can be controlledeither by control buttons 118 located on the assembly, or by voicerecognition commands, or both. For instance, by observing a videodisplay in the master bedroom, a user could check for activity indifferent rooms throughout the house. This capability is furtherenhanced if the user can initiate a command that controls lightingthroughout the house, thereby illuminating the rooms to be observed.Similarly, lights illuminating the outside perimeter of the house can becontrolled, and video cameras mounted so as to observe these areas andsupply information that can be viewed on display 80. The form of controlbuttons 118 in FIG. 26 can be expanded to include a lighted keypad toallow command input regarding what room is to be observed and/orilluminated. Such a keypad could have specific buttons/keys that aremarked with the names of the particular rooms that might be observed.

[0152] Another use of display 80 is to enable interactive videoconferencing, not just within the home, but with someone located at aremote location via the Internet. Although such video conferencing is ofcourse possible on any PC given an attached camera, the unit shown inFIG. 26 allows a more spontaneous form of conferencing. For instance, aparent, while at work, might observe the activity of a child at home andspontaneously initiate a conference via the assembly shown in FIG. 26which is directly accessible to the child in whatever room they happento be.

[0153] As mentioned earlier, in order to properly identify EMAC pointswithin a home or building, some form of integral serialization for eachEMAC unit may be desired. This can be accomplished in a number ofmanners, the simplest being to add a form of programmable memory withinone of the integrated circuits contained within the EMAC unit. Duringthe manufacturing process, each EMAC unit would then be brieflyconnected to a programming system that would install a unique serialnumber in each EMAC unit. However, it may be overly expensive to includea memory chip, or build any of the required semiconductor devices on aprocess capable of supporting electrically programmable memory. If thecost of this method is prohibitive, an alternative approach would be toinclude some form of electrically scan-able matrix on a PCB (PrintedCircuit Board) within the unit, such as matrix 81 shown in FIG. 27. Thismatrix is scanned by applying patterns to the wires oriented along afirst axis while observing the values that appear on the wires orientedalong the axis orthogonal to the first axis, thereby scanning the matrixand determining which intersections are connected and which are not. Ifthe matrix is comprised of wiring traces on the PCB, it would be normalto initially have the matrix fully connected at each intersection, andthen selectively delete connections at certain intersections in order toaffect the programming pattern for the serial number.

[0154] This deletion could be performed by a number of methods includinglaser cutting, or use of a burnable fuse structure at each matrixintersection, all of which are techniques known in the art. Analternative to deleting conductive material at a matrix intersectionwould be to have the ability to selectively add conductive material atselected intersections and to have all matrix intersections start out inan electrically unconnected state.

[0155] EMAC points are also quite useful at the exterior of a home orbuilding as shown for a light mounted on exterior wall 84 of a home orbuilding in FIG. 28. Here, junction box extension unit 82 is addedbetween exterior electrical junction box 83 and exterior light 87.Extension unit 82 has both motion detector 85 and video camera 86attached and also includes a circuit for controlling exterior light 87.Also included in extension unit 82 is a communication circuit capable ofsending digital information to and from any remote device by way of theelectrical power line available at the junction box. Video informationis digitized, compressed, and sent over the powerline communicationlink. Also, motion detection information, temperature information, andpower consumption information for light 87 can also be transmitted in asimilar manner. Exterior light 87 can also be controlled remotely viathe communications link.

[0156] Note that, in this specification, where a single video camera isshown as part of an assembly, multiple video cameras can also beincluded within the same assembly thereby covering a larger overallviewing area. Also, multiple cameras within the same assembly may alsoshare some of the video compression circuitry and other supportcircuitry that may also exist in the assembly.

[0157] Therefore, a system for incorporation in homes or buildings hasbeen described that allows energy related information to be gathered byway of EMAC points typically installed at convenient locations such aselectrical junction boxes used for plug receptacles and wall switches.In addition to being visually displayed at the point of energy use ormeasurement, this energy related information is typically communicatedthrough a power line data link to a centrally located, local PC ordirectly to a device on the Internet where this information can be usedfor energy profiling and or control. Also, taking advantage of the datatransmission capability required for communication of energy relatedinformation, as well as taking advantage of the power available atjunction boxes, network access points are easily made available. Giventhe vantage point afforded by a typical wall switch located at the entryto a room, video cameras and/or video displays may also be included inthe assembly implementing a wall switch EMAC point.

[0158] It should be understood that the particular embodiments describedabove are only illustrative of the principles of the present invention,and various modifications could be made by those skilled in the artwithout departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Thus, thescope of the present invention is limited only by the claims thatfollow.

What is claimed is:
 1. An assembly designed for attachment to anelectrical junction box including: a current sensor capable ofdetermining the level of electrical current consumed by an electricalload connected to the junction box; a circuit for providing said levelof electrical current in digital form; and a digital communicationscircuit capable of sending and receiving digital information, includingsaid level of electrical current consumption, to and from a remotedevice.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, where said digital communicationscircuit capable of sending and receiving digital information to and froma remote device does so by way of the power line connection available atthe junction box.
 3. The assembly of claim 2, further including at leastone electrical power switch.
 4. The assembly of claim 2, furtherincluding at least one power plug receptacle.
 5. The assembly of claim2, further including: a sensor for measuring the ambient temperature atthe assembly; and a circuit for providing said ambient temperatureinformation in digital form and making said digital ambient temperatureinformation available to said digital communications circuit and/or anintegral display.
 6. The assembly of claim 5, further including: placingsaid temperature sensor in a position within said assembly, and addinginsulating material as required, so as to minimize any thermal influenceon said temperature sensor by any heat producing device also containedwithin the assembly.
 7. The assembly of claim 2, further including anintegral digitally controlled display.
 8. The assembly of claim 7,further including the capability to display: the ambient temperature atthe assembly; or the power level consumed by any electrical loadsconnected to the junction box in terms of units of power consumption(e.g. Watts); or the power level consumed by any electrical loadsconnected to the junction box in terms of Cost-per-Time (e.g. $/Month).9. The assembly of claim 2, further including: a motion detector, and acircuit interfacing with said motion detector for providing motiondetection information to said digital communications circuit.
 10. Theassembly of claim 1, further including: a video camera powered by theelectrical power available at the electrical junction box.
 11. Theassembly of claim 10, further including: a circuit for broadcasting saidvideo camera output signal in analog video form.
 12. The assembly ofclaim 10, further including: a circuit for digitizing said video cameraoutput signal, and; a circuit for compressing said digitized videosignal, and; a power line communications circuit capable of sending andreceiving digital information to and from a remote device by way of thepower line connection available at the junction box, said digitized andcompressed video signal being made available to said power linecommunications circuit.
 13. The assembly of claim 2, further including:a standard network access connection jack; and a network interfacecircuit connected to said standard network connection jack, said networkinterface circuit supporting digital network communication in compliancewith an industry standard, and interfacing with said digitalcommunications circuit.
 14. The assembly of claim 2, further including:an audio intercom circuit with digital capability for transmitting andreceiving audio information by way of said digital communicationscircuit.
 15. The assembly of claim 14, further including: speechrecognition capability implemented as software running on a processorwithin the assembly or alternately running on a processor, PC, orGateway connected as a remote device.
 16. The assembly of claim 2,further including: a circuit for controlling the power applied to anelectrical load connected to said electrical junction box.
 17. Theassembly of claim 16, further including: the capability for controllingthe power applied to an electrical load such that the power may beapplied fully on or off, or alternately applied at some arbitraryintermediate level.
 18. An assembly designed for attachment to anelectrical junction box including: a digitally controlled panel displaycapable of displaying full motion video; and a circuit for driving saidpanel display with information received from a remote source.
 19. Theassembly of claim 18, further including: an audio intercom circuit withdigital capability for transmitting and receiving audio information byway of a digital communications circuit capable of sending and receivingdigital information to and from a remote device.
 20. The assembly ofclaim 19, further including: speech recognition functionalityimplemented as: software running on a processor within the assembly; orsoftware running on a processor, PC, or Gateway connected as a remotedevice where said speech recognition functionality communicates withsaid assembly by way of said digital communications link.
 21. Theassembly of claim 18, further including: An electrical power switch. 22.The assembly of claim 21, further including: a current sensor capable ofdetermining the level of electrical current consumed by an electricalload connected to said electrical power switch; and a circuit forproviding said level of electrical current in digital form; and adigital communications circuit capable of sending said digitalinformation regarding said level of electrical current to a remotedevice.
 23. The assembly of claim 18, further including: a circuitcapable of sending and receiving digital information to and from aremote device by way of the power line connection available at thejunction box.
 24. A circuit breaker box, including: a plurality ofcurrent sensing elements for sensing the levels of electrical currentpassing through a plurality of circuit breakers; and a circuit forproviding said levels of electrical current in digital form; and adigital communications circuit capable of sending and receiving digitalinformation, including said levels of electrical current consumption, toand from a remote device.
 25. The circuit breaker box of claim 24, wheresaid circuit capable of sending and receiving digital information to andfrom a remote device does so by way of the power line connectionsavailable at the circuit breaker box.
 26. The circuit breaker box ofclaim 24, further including: a display and a keypad for entering anddisplaying information sent and received by way of said digitalcommunications circuit.
 27. The circuit breaker box of claim 24, furtherincluding: a circuit capable of measuring the voltage level at the powerline input to the breaker box, and a circuit for providing said voltagelevel in digital form to said digital communications circuit.
 28. Thecircuit breaker box of claim 24, where said breaker box is a standardbreaker box and said current sensing elements, said circuit forproviding, and said digital communications circuit, are designed to beretrofitted on said standard breaker box sometime after the initialinstallation of said standard breaker box.
 29. The circuit breaker boxof claim 24, where said breaker box is an enhanced design breaker boxand said current sensing elements, said circuit for providing, and saiddigital communications circuit are designed to be integral with saidstandard breaker box prior to the time of the initial installation ofsaid breaker box.
 30. A circuit breaker suitable for installation in astandard circuit breaker box, including: a current sensing element forsensing the level of electrical current passing through said circuitbreaker; and a circuit for providing said level of electrical current indigital form; and a digital communications circuit capable of sendingand receiving digital information, including said levels of electricalcurrent consumption, to and from a remote device by way of the powerline connections available at said circuit breaker box.
 31. Atemperature sensor assembly, including: a temperature sensor; and acircuit for digitizing the temperature information produced by saidtemperature sensor; and a communications circuit for transferring saidtemperature information through a network communications link to aremote device.
 32. The assembly of claim 31, where said networkcommunications link supports digital network communication in compliancewith an industry standard such as Ethernet.
 33. The assembly of claim31, where said assembly is designed to be attached to an electricaljunction box or be plugged into a power plug receptacle attached to anelectrical junction box; and where said network communications linktransfers information by way of the power line connections available atsaid electrical junction box.
 34. The assembly of claim 31, where saidremote device is a thermostat capable of receiving temperatureinformation from a plurality of similar temperature sensor assemblies.35. A thermostat assembly, controlling a heating or cooling system, saidthermostat assembly being capable of receiving temperature informationfrom a plurality of remote temperature sensors by way of a networkcommunications link.
 36. The thermostat assembly of FIG. 35 where themode of operation reverts to that of a conventional thermostat,observing only the temperature at the location of said thermostatassembly, if communication with a predetermined number of said remotetemperature sensors is lost.
 37. A method of operation for thethermostat assembly of claim 35, comprising: collecting the temperaturesfrom each of said plurality of remote temperature sensors; controllingsaid heating or cooling system so as to produce a predeterminedtemperature average when said collected temperatures are numericallyaveraged.
 38. A method of operation for the thermostat assembly of claim35, comprising: collecting the temperatures from each of the pluralityof remote temperature sensors; controlling said heating or coolingsystem so as to seek to produce a predetermined temperature profileacross the locations of said remote temperature sensors.
 39. The methodof claim 38, further comprising: altering said temperature profileaccording to the time of day.
 40. The thermostat assembly of FIG. 35where said network communications link transfers information by way ofpower lines.
 41. A motion detector assembly, including: a motiondetector capable of producing motion detection information indicatingthat motion has been detected; and a communications circuit fortransferring said motion detection information through a networkcommunications link to a remote device.
 42. The assembly of claim 41,where said network communications link supports digital networkcommunication in compliance with an industry standard such as Ethernet.43. The assembly of claim 41, where said assembly is designed to beattached to an electrical junction box or to be plugged into a powerplug receptacle located at an electrical junction box; and where saidnetwork communications link transfers information by way of the powerline connections available at said electrical junction box.
 44. A methodfor profiling electrical energy use in a home or building, comprising:gathering electrical power consumption information from remote currentsensors located at circuit breaker boxes and/or electrical junctionboxes distributed throughout said home or building; creating amulti-dimensional display of a floor plan for said home or buildingindicating the location of said current sensors; annotating at each ofsaid sensor location indications, the power consumption measured by thecorresponding sensor.
 45. The method of claim, 44, further comprising:obtaining power cost information from the Internet; converting the powerconsumption measured by said current sensors to a cost per unit timeformat; annotating at each of said sensor location indications, thepower consumption measured by the corresponding sensor in terms of costper unit time.
 46. The method of claim 44, further comprising:annotating each of said sensor location indications in a color shadeand/or intensity according to the power consumption measured by thecorresponding sensor.
 47. The method of claim 44 where said gathering ofelectrical power consumption information from remote current sensors isperformed by the transmission of digital information by way ofelectrical power lines.
 48. A method for profiling the temperature in ahome or building, comprising: gathering temperature information fromremote temperature sensors distributed throughout the home or building;creating a multi-dimensional display of a floor plan for said home orbuilding indicating the location of said temperature sensors; annotatingat each of said sensor location indications, the temperature measured bythe corresponding sensor.
 49. The method of claim 48, furthercomprising: annotating each of said sensor location indications in acolor shade and/or intensity according to the level of temperaturemeasured by the corresponding sensor.
 50. The method of claim 48,further comprising: annotating said multi-dimensional display withextrapolated temperature gradient information similar to that shown fortemperature profiling on weather maps.
 51. The method of claim 48, wheresaid remote temperature sensors are part of an assembly designed to beattached to an electrical junction box or to be plugged into a powerplug receptacle located at an electrical junction box; and where saidnetwork communications link transfers information by way of the powerline connections available at said electrical junction box.
 52. Themethod of claim 48, where said gathering of temperature information fromremote temperature sensors is performed by the transmission of digitalinformation by way of a communications link that supports digitalnetwork communication in compliance with an industry standard such asEthernet.
 53. A method for measuring the relative positions of locationswithin a home or building structure, comprising: sending wirelesssignals from a plurality of beacons to a position locating devicedesigned to receive said signals, said beacons and position locatingdevice having synchronized clocks, and the transmission frequency andstrength of said signals selected to allow said signals to penetratesaid structure's walls; recording the time when each signal is receivedat said position locating device relative to a synchronized time at allof said beacons; computing the distance from each beacon to saidposition locating device; determining, by triangulation, the position ofsaid position locating device.
 54. The method of claim 53 furthercomprising: Entering into said position locating device information foridentifying a particular EMAC point that is temporarily connected to, orin close proximity to, said position locating device; using saidinformation for identifying to aid in the construction of amultidimensional plan of the home or building structure showing saidEMAC point locations.
 55. A method for measuring the relative positionsof locations within a home or building structure, comprising: sendinginitial wireless signals, where the transmission frequency and strengthof said signals have been selected to allow said signals to penetratesaid structure's walls, from multiple beacons to a position locatingdevice designed to receive said initial signals; said position locatingdevice automatically returning said signals to said beacons after aspecific time delay period; each of said beacons measuring the distanceto said position locating device by measuring the time or phasedifference of the returning signal relative to the corresponding initialsignal that was previously sent; communicating said distance to acentral location, which may be the position locating device.determining, by triangulation, the position of said position locatingdevice.
 56. The method of claim 55 further comprising: Entering intosaid position locating device information for identifying a particularEMAC point that is temporarily connected to, or in close proximity to,said position locating device; using said information for identifying toaid in the construction of a multi-dimensional plan of the home orbuilding structure showing said EMAC point locations.
 57. A portableEMAC point designed to plug into a standard power plug receptacle at anelectrical junction box, including: a plurality of power plugreceptacles; and current sensors capable of determining the level ofelectrical current consumed by an electrical load connected to any ofsaid power plug receptacles; a circuit for providing said level ofelectrical current in digital form; and a digital communications circuitcapable of sending and receiving digital information, including saidlevel of electrical current consumption, to and from a remote device;and a digitally controlled display.
 58. The assembly of claim 57, wheresaid digital communications circuit capable of sending and receivingdigital information to and from a remote device does so by way of thepower line connection available at the junction box.
 59. The assembly ofclaim 58, further including: a sensor for measuring the ambienttemperature at the assembly; and a circuit for providing said ambienttemperature in digital form and making said digital ambient temperatureavailable to said digital communications circuit and/or an integraldisplay.
 60. The assembly of claim 58, further including: a video camerapowered by the AC power available at said junction box; and a circuitfor digitizing the video camera output signal; and a circuit forcompressing the digitized video signal; and making this digitized videosignal available to said digital communications circuit.
 61. Theassembly of claim 58, further including: a motion detector; and acircuit interfacing with said motion detector for providing motiondetection indication to said digital communications circuit.
 62. Theassembly of claim 58, further including: a standard network accessconnection jack; and a network interface circuit connected to saidstandard network connection jack, said network interface circuitsupporting digital network communication in compliance with an industrystandard, and interfacing with said digital communications circuit. 63.The assembly of claim 58, further including: an ambient light detector;and a circuit for providing ambient light level information from saidambient light detector in digital form and making said digital lightlevel information available to said digital communications circuit. 64.The assembly of claim 58, further including: a circuit for controllingthe power applied to an electrical load connected to said portable EMACpoint.
 65. An assembly designed for attachment to an electrical junctionbox including: a power line communications circuit capable of sendingand receiving digital information to and from a remote device by way ofthe power line connection available at said junction box; and a wirelesscommunications circuit capable of communicating with other, compatiblewireless communications circuits, said wireless communications circuitalso capable of sending digital information to a remote device by way ofsaid power line communications circuit.
 66. A system including theassembly of claim 65, further including: a plurality of closuredetection devices suitable for detecting the open or closed position ofwindows or doors, each of said closure detection devices including: acircuit for providing closure detection information; and a wirelesscommunication circuit for sending said closure detection information tothe assembly of claim
 65. 67. An assembly designed for attachment to anelectrical junction box including: a power line communications circuitcapable of sending and receiving digital information to and from aremote device by way of the power line connection available at saidjunction box a video camera powered by the AC power available at saidjunction box; and a circuit for digitizing said video camera outputsignal; and a circuit for compressing said digitized video signal; saidassembly constructed so as to make said digitized and compressed videosignal available to said power line communications circuit.
 68. Theassembly of claim 67, further including: a motion detector; and acircuit interfacing with said motion detector for providing motiondetection indication to said power line communications circuit; and acircuit for controlling the power applied to an electrical loadconnected to said assembly, said circuit for controlling receivingcommands by way of said power line communications circuit.
 69. Theassembly of claim 68, further including: a current sensor capable ofdetermining the level of electrical current consumed by an electricalload connected to said junction box; a circuit for providing said levelof electrical current in digital form; and a sensor for measuring theambient temperature at the assembly; and a circuit for providing ambienttemperature information in digital form; where said digital ambienttemperature information and said digital level of electrical current aremade available to said power line communications circuit and/or anintegral display.
 70. The assembly of FIG. 67, further including: are-creation of an electrical junction box interface such that anyelectrical assembly that might normally attach to an electrical junctionbox can be attached to the assembly of FIG.
 67. 71. The assembly of FIG.67, further including: an integral light assembly.
 72. The assembly ofFIG. 68, further including: an electrical power switch.
 73. The assemblyof FIG. 72, further including: a current sensor capable of determiningthe level of electrical current consumed by an electrical load connectedto said junction box; a circuit for providing said level of electricalcurrent in digital form; and a sensor for measuring the ambienttemperature at the assembly; and a circuit for providing said ambienttemperature in digital form; and making said digital ambient temperatureand said digital level of electrical current to said power linecommunications circuit and/or an integral display.
 74. An assemblydesigned for attachment to an electrical junction box including: a powerplug receptacle; and a power line communications circuit capable ofsending and receiving digital information to and from a remote device byway of the power line connection available at said junction box; and amotion detector; and a circuit interfacing with said motion detector forproviding digital motion detection information; and a sensor formeasuring the ambient temperature at the assembly; and a circuitinterfacing with said ambient temperature sensor for providing ambienttemperature information in digital form; said assembly constructed so asto provide said digital ambient temperature information and said motiondetection information to said power line communications circuit.
 75. Theassembly of FIG. 74, further including: a circuit for controlling thepower applied to an electrical load connected to the assembly of FIG.74, said circuit for controlling receiving commands for controlling byway of said power line communications circuit; and a current sensorcapable of determining the level of electrical current consumed by anelectrical load connected to said junction box; a circuit for providingsaid level of electrical current information in digital form; saidassembly constructed so as to provide said level of electrical currentinformation to said power line communications circuit and/or an integraldisplay.
 76. The assembly of FIG. 75, further including: a physicalmechanism for overriding or bypassing said circuit for controlling suchthat the maximum allowable electrical current level for said plugreceptacle is not artificially lowered by the inclusion of said circuitfor controlling.
 77. The assembly of FIG. 75, wherein said integraldisplay is a digitally controlled display having the capability todisplay: the ambient temperature at the assembly; or the power levelconsumed by any electrical loads connected to the junction box in termsof units of power consumption (e.g. Watts); or the power level consumedby any electrical loads connected to the junction box in terms ofCost-per-Time (e.g. $/Month).
 78. A method of collecting and managingvideo information from a plurality of video cameras located throughout ahome or building, where each video camera has associated with it aplurality of motion detectors, and digitized video and motion detectioninformation are provided to a digital communications network,comprising: polling each motion detector to determine if motion activityis occurring in the area observed by corresponding video cameras;storing at a central location, short samples or still versions of videoinformation when no motion is detected; storing at a central location,continuous running video information when motion is detected.
 79. Themethod of claim 78, further including: automatically transmitting saidvideo information to an offsite location where it is stored;
 80. Themethod of claim 79, where said video information is encrypted beforebeing transmitted offsite to protect the privacy of the occupant.
 81. Amethod for utilizing the circuit breaker box of FIG. 24 to allowidentification of the power consumed by individual devices connected toa particular circuit breaker where multiple devices are connected tosaid particular circuit breaker, comprising: turning off all powerconsuming devices connected to said particular circuit breaker; turningon, one at a time, each power consuming device connected to saidparticular circuit breaker; measuring, one at a time, the level ofelectrical current consumed by each of said power consuming devices,utilizing one of said current sensing elements; providing said levels ofelectrical current in digital form; communicating by way of said digitalcommunications circuit, said level of electrical current consumption, toa remote device; storing, at said remote device, the level of currentconsumed by each of said power consuming devices;
 82. The method ofclaim 81, further comprising: analyzing the waveforms representing saidlevels of electrical current consumed by each of said power consumingdevices at moment of application of power to said power consumingdevices; storing, at said remote device, the results of said analysis asa form of power signature; comparing, each time additional powerconsumption is observed by said current sensing elements, the observedpower signature with said stored power signatures; determining whichpower consuming device has just been activated;
 83. A method forautomatically controlling a light, comprising; gathering motiondetection information from a plurality of motion detectors placed withinand/or near the area of a home or building to be illuminated by saidlight; turning said light on or off in response to said motion detectioninformation.
 84. The method of claim 83, further comprising; gatheringsaid motion detection information by way of a communications network.85. The method of claim 84, where said communications network transfersinformation by way of power lines.
 86. A method for controlling aheating or cooling system in order to achieve certain desiredtemperatures at specific locations within a home or building,comprising; gathering temperature information from a plurality oftemperature sensors placed in a plurality of locations throughout saidhome or building; communicating said temperature information through adata communications network to a central controller; controlling acentral heating or cooling source and a plurality of electricallycontrolled vents, ducts, or registers having controllable, variable airflow capability, such that said desired temperatures are achieved atsaid specific locations.
 87. The method of claim 86, where a pluralityof temperature sensors are placed within at least one room.
 88. Themethod of claim 86, where said data communications network transfersinformation by way of power lines.
 89. The method of claim 86, where aplurality of temperature sensors are placed within at least one room andwhere said data communications network transfers information by way ofpower lines.
 90. A modular communications hub assembly for power linedigital communications, including: a power plug connection that carriesboth communications signals and power to supply the energy required tooperate said hub; and a plurality of plug receptacles or connectionslots, each capable of attaching to digital power line communicationcircuit modules, said circuit modules including a circuit fortransferring digital information to and from a remote device by way ofthe power line connections within the home or building and said powerplug connection; and a host interface circuit connecting to andcommunicating with each of said plurality of plug receptacles orconnection slots, said host interface circuit capable of transferringdigital information to and from a local PC, Residential Gateway, ordevice located on the Internet.
 91. The modular communications hubassembly of claim 90 where said power line communication circuit modulesmay each communicate according to different communications standards.92. The modular communications hub assembly of claim 90 where said powerline communication circuit modules may each communicate at differentdata rates.
 93. A video security system for a home or buildingincluding: a centrally located Personal Computer or Residential Gatewaycapable of communicating via the Internet; and a plurality of videocamera assemblies located throughout a home or building, each videocamera assembly including: a video camera; and a circuit for digitizingsaid video camera output signal; and a circuit for compressing saiddigitized video signal; and a digital communications circuit for sendingsaid compressed video signal to said Personal Computer or ResidentialGateway; a home security system capable of generating an intruderdetection indication signal upon detecting a potential intruder, saidPersonal Computer or Residential Gateway allowing said compressed videosignals from said plurality of video cameras to be sent through theInternet to a security monitoring company or the Police only upon theoccurrence of said intruder detection indication signal.
 94. The systemof claim 93 where said video camera assemblies are mounted at electricaljunction boxes and are powered by said junction boxes.
 95. The system ofclaim 94 where said digital communications circuit for sending saidcompressed video signal from said camera assembly to said PersonalComputer or Residential Gateway sends said signal by way of the powerline connection available at said junction box.
 96. A method forprofiling the temperature in a home or building, comprising: gatheringtemperature information from remote temperature sensors distributedthroughout the home or building; creating a display indicating zoneswithin said home or building; annotating for each of said zones, thetemperature measured by the corresponding sensor.
 97. The method ofclaim 96, where said remote temperature sensors are part of an assemblydesigned to be attached to an electrical junction box or to be pluggedinto a power plug receptacle located at an electrical junction box; andwhere said network communications link transfers information by way ofthe power line connections available at said electrical junction box.98. The method of claim 96, where said gathering of temperatureinformation from remote temperature sensors is performed by thetransmission of digital information by way of a standard communicationslink that supports digital network communication in compliance with anindustry standard such as Ethernet.
 99. The method of claim 96, wheresaid display is implemented on a local PC, Residential Gateway, or smartthermostat.
 100. An assembly designed for attachment to an electricaljunction box including: a digitally controlled panel display capable ofdisplaying full motion video; and a powerline communications circuitcapable of sending and receiving digital information to and from aremote device by way of the power line connection available at thejunction box; and a circuit for driving said panel display withinformation received from a remote source by way of said powerlinecommunications circuit; and buttons or keys that can be used to initiatecommands sent by way of said powerline communications circuit, saidcommands capable of causing: specific areas of the home to beilluminated by remote control; and specific areas of the home to beviewed by video cameras where signals derived from said video camerasare transmitted by way of a powerline communications network and arereceived by said powerline communications circuit for display on saiddigitally controlled panel display; and an electrical power switch forcontrolling an electrical power circuit not directly related to thefunctions heretofore described for said assembly.
 101. The assembly ofclaim 100, further including: a current sensor capable of determiningthe level of electrical current consumed by an electrical load connectedto said electrical power switch; and a circuit for providing said levelof electrical current in digital form to said powerline communicationscircuit.